


Strength

by AvengerJr1



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Minor Character Death, Triggers, just trying to be careful, maybe? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-13 14:21:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3384941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvengerJr1/pseuds/AvengerJr1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark has a daughter, unbeknownst to him. He and Pepper get a letter saying that she would like to meet him. Of course, Tony's unsure. But when he's taken hostage, she takes over. Will they forge a father/daughter relationship? And how does he feel about her being eyed by the star-spangled capcicle himself? </p>
<p>Starts briefly before Iron Man, then goes through Avengers. Steve/OFC a little later on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!  
> Just wanted to throw a warning out there, there is a minor character death in this prologue. It occurs in a hospital. But just wanted to put it out there. Things might be a little OOC, but it's my first time writing an Avengers' fanfiction.  
> Please enjoy~!

        She was small when she was born. Her dark brown eyes resembled her fathers, along with the dark whips of hair she possessed. She was a quiet child growing up. Her mother worked often, her father refused to be in the picture. She didn't know that until she was a teen, recognizing that her last name was the same as a billionaire in New York City. He figured he was scared, or just didn't want her. It was something that she contemplated often in her life. 

        It wasn't until her mother had come down with a severe and dark illness that she decided to contact her father. It was via letter, for she wasn't up to video chatting with a man that she had never met. While waiting for his reply, if there was to be one, she sat beside her mother in the hospital. The illness wasn't curable and her mother's days were limited. She felt lost, her mother was her anchor. A week after the letter was sent, she received a reply. Instead of it being her father's name, it held another name on the envelope. Pepper Potts. She frowned at the name. Who was this woman? Her father's lover? She read the letter as her mother slept somewhat peacefully.

        _Dear..._

_Hello! My name is Pepper, as you saw on the front of the letter I'm sure. I am Mr. Stark's assistant and girlfriend. I hope this isn't awkward. Tony.. he felt uncomfortable answering your letter, so I took it upon myself to do it for him. I'm not surprised that he has a child, I just want him to own up to it. He's a wonderful man. I think having you in his life would be wonderful. He's stubborn and egotistical, but I think you'll come to love him. I'm sorry to hear about your mother, I send my condolences. If you need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to let me know. I'll send you information about getting you to visit here sometime soon. I'm sure Tony would love to have you here and to finally meet you. I hope to hear from you soon, and best wishes to your mother._

_Sincerely, Pepper Potts_

        She cringed at reading the note. This lady was extremely polite, and also her father's girlfriend. It was a nice offer, and she just might have to take her up on it. However, her mother needed to be in a better situation than this. She pulled out her notebook from her bag and set to write her reply. Before the pen hit the paper, her mother's machines began to beep furiously. She jumped from her chair- "NURSE!"

* * *

 

       

        It had been two hours before she was allowed to see her mother. The doctors warned that she was in a coma, and that she may never awaken. It broke her heart to see her mother in this condition. It was worse when she was handed the _do not resuscitate_ papers. She choked back a sob, knowing that this was going to be a rough few weeks. Glancing at the envelope that the letter came in, she sighed. There was a phone number. So, she picked up her phone, dialing the number with bated breath. It rang a few times before someone actually picked up.

_"Hello. This is Pepper Potts at Stark Industries. How may I help you?"_

She flinched. So this was Pepper. **"Hello Pepper. Im the one who sent you a letter. I'm Tony's daughter..."**

_"Ah.." She paused. "Hello. Is there anything I can do for you honey?"_

Her voice was sweet. She decided she liked Pepper so far. **"Uh.. Yeah. My mom.. there's DNR papers now.. I'm honestly lost.."** She laughed somberly.  **"I just need some insight. I** **want to come out to New York. I want to meet you and... and Tony."**

_"Well, I can fly you out here whenever you want.. But what about your mom? What's going on there? Why the DNR papers?"_

**"I don't know. It's just what was left. The doctor's said she probably won't wake up again."**

_"Oh honey..._ " Pepper frowned on her end. _"Why don't Tony and I fly out tonight and meet you in the morning? How does that sound? He'll be free tomorrow, and I can always run the company from my phone."_   There was a smile in her voice.

**"A-alright. I guess. Thank you."**

_"Not a problem sweety. I'll pack Tony up tonight and make sure he makes our jet. I'll see you in a few hours. Which hospital are you at?"_

**"Eastern Memorial in Mooresville. It's a small town in Alabama."** She practically whispered.

_"All right. We'll see you soon. My best wishes honey."_

And with that Pepper hung up, leaving her to her mother's room and the silence that followed.

* * *

 

      She had fallen asleep in her chair that night, her gaze was ever watching over her mother's slumbering form. She could remember her eyelids drooping at one point, then nothing but darkness. She'd awoken because of a loud set of noises. Jolting from her chair for the second time in a day or so, she was faced with doctors and nurses surrounding her mother's bed. One had grasped her upper arms, trying to remove her from the room. She thrashed, screaming her mother's name, tears slipping down her face. **_This couldn't be happening_**. Everything was fine two weeks ago. She tried to rip herself from the nurse, crying as she went.

Then it hit. She heard the dreaded noise. Her mother had flat-lined. She collapsed in the hallway, wanting to be alone.

* * *

 

 

     She sat in the hallway, in a hard leather chair outside of what was her mother's room. She barely heard the murmur of the hospital around her. Everything was blank, she wanted to leave. Faintly, the noise of clicking heels hit her ears. She didn't bother raising her head, she didn't care. Her eyes were bloodshot from her tears, she hadn't showered, and her stomach practically begged for food.

    "Excuse me, are you.. Ms. Stark?" A sweet voice asked hesitantly.

She blinked slowly. _Stark... Right, that's my name.._ "Yeah.."

"I'm Pepper Potts, we wrote and spoke on the phone. I'm here with Tony."

Raising her head, she blinked away her tiredness. She decided to stand, wobbling on her feet. "Hello."

Tony and Pepper took in her appearance. She was clearly disheveled, her hair was in disarray and her skin was pale, despite having a tan. Her face was stained with tear trails, and she looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"Honey.. is everything all right?" Pepper stepped forward, Tony peeking around her shoulder.

"No. It's not ' _all right_.'" She paused. "She's gone."

Pepper gasped lightly, glancing back at Tony. "Oh sweety.." She stood in front of this woman and her apparent father, glancing at them both.

"Welcome to Alabama Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts." She coughed. "My name is Liliana. But mom called me Lily."

"Hello Lily." Pepper stated. "Please, just call me Pepper." She nudged Tony forward.

Tony shifted awkwardly, this was his first time meeting his daughter. His daughter who he missed 18 years of her life. Letting out a strained fake cough, Tony looked to her. "Hello Lily. I'm your dad..." He spoke softly, not feeling like now was the best time for his usual cockiness. She nodded, absorbing the information the best she could before she drifted into unconscioussness, her body slipping to the floor.

 


	2. Speed of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short father/daughter moment, a funeral, and going to New York City. It happens fast, but things are about to get way worse later on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for tuning back! Like I said, things are moving quickly, but I'm trying to get to the brunt of the story, and hopefully introduce Captain Rogers. :) Thanks again!

       Tony stepped forward, catching the falling girl in his arms. Pepper called for a nurse as he awkwardly hoisted the girl upward. After getting her into a bed, the two walked back out into the hallway. Tony sighed heavily and rubbed his hands down his face. What was he to do? He has a daughter? One that just recently lost her mother. He wanted to deny that she was his, he knew he wasn't ready for a child. Although, she was 18, not so much a child any longer. However, he took one glance at her and automatically knew that she was his. She looked almost exactly like him. He couldn't deny it. Tony Stark had a daughter.

* * *

 

       Pepper sat at Lily's bedside, glancing between Tony and the younger woman. She had to admit, she looked like Tony. Pepper could sense that Tony was struggling with this just as much as Lily was. They needed to talk, all of them. Something had to be done, the sooner the better. -- Six hours later, Lily had finally come to. The doctor had told her that she was exhausted and that she needed fluids and food badly. She coughed, feeling tired despite having slept. She felt someone grab her hand and jerked. It was Pepper. Lily relaxed seeing that the woman was here for her.

"Where's.. Tony..?" Lily rasped, Pepper handing her a glass of water.

"Tony!" She called, knowing the man was outside the door.

        Mister Stark himself strode into the hospital room, his eyes filled with an unreadable emotion. He was dressed in his standard ripped jeans and AC DC shirt. He looked like he was about to throw up. Lily rose in her bed, eyeing the man who was her father. Pepper held her hand still, giving a thoughtful look to the young woman.

"Shall I give you two some time..?" Pepper questioned, more to just clear the silence of the room.

Lily nodded, waiting for Tony to give his response.

* * *

 

      Pepper left the room five minutes ago, leaving Tony leaning awkwardly against the window sill. The whole situation screamed awkward. The scariest part was playing out in Tony's mind. He found out the name of her mother, and knew exactly who it was. He was the one who ran when she announced her pregnancy. He was the child, proving that he wasn't ready to take care of one. He had loved her, but he was scared. Oh, so scared. So he did what he deemed appropriate, he fled, and left her to her own devices.

      She'd moved to Alabama, and hadn't sent any news of the baby until the day she was born. She sent a picture to Tony, but never heard if he had recieved it. So, she raised the baby on her own. Lily was a daily reminder of the man who had left her behind, but she continued to push and care for the human she created.

      It was Lily who broke the silence. She began coughing, her throat was dry. Tony broke from his rememberance trance, his sight fleeting to the woman on the bed. She was reaching for the cup on water on her side table. After taking a sip, she looked to Tony.

      "Hi.." She murmured, rubbing her hands together anxiously.

      Tony cleared his throat, nodding toward her. "Hey."

      "Sorry about the situation.. About how we first met." Lily gave a small smile.

       Tony shrugged.

       "Are you just going to stay silent the whole time? I know this is awkward as hell, but damn. I'm your daughter."

       Tony had to smirk, she definitely had his spark. "No.. No.. I'll speak. It's just a lot to take in."

      "Clearly." She joked, cracking another smile. "Take a seat. We're going to be here a while. I've got a lot to tell you."

      Tony was honestly taken back. She was being so nice to him after he'd missed 18 years of her life. However, he decided to comply, taking the chair that Pepper previously sat in.

* * *

 

      Pepper stood outside the door smiling brightly. The circumstances sucked, that was obvious. But Tony was meeting his daughter, **his daughter**. She was proud of him for even flying out here. And now he was making an effort to talk to her. This was just what Tony needed in his life, some sort of stability.

* * *

 

      He hated to bring it up just as much as the next person, but Lily's mother was gone. Arrangements had to be made. Tony sat beside his daughter who was well enough to leave the hospital. He took her in. Her hair, her eyes, even her attitude mimiced him. She was his daughter, he felt his heart swell. His head was ringing with thoughts about what he'd missed and what to do.

     "I'll give you space to change and whatever.." Tony stated. "Then we can figure everything out from there. Pepper booked us a hotel. We'll get things settled and if you want.." Tony paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "You can come up to New York with us.."

      Lily just looked to Tony with wide eyes. She nodded slowly. "All right..?"

      Tony arched an eyebrow. "What?"

     "Nothing.." She paused. "Well.. Everything's moving so fast."

      Tony nodded. "Yeah."

     "Give me a few and we'll head out."

     "Sure.." Tony left the room, looking to Pepper when he closed the door behind him.

     These next few weeks were going to be different, very different. Pepper knew that they could handle it, and that things would work out in due time.

* * *

 

     They'd made it to the hotel, Pepper showing Lily around the presidential suite. Lily sighed heavily and sat on the couch while Tony stayed on the other side of the room. Pepper waited in the middle of the room with an exasperated look. _What were they going to do?_

     Eventually they had come up with a plan about how they were going to host Lily's mom's service and when and where Lily would be staying afterwards. She'd told Tony and Pepper that she was willing to move to New York City and help out within Stark Industries, she was a Stark after all. Shanon Wells; that was her name. Lily sat with Pepper and Tony, the previous' arms around her. Lily had tried not to cry, but it happened anyway. The service was small, for there wasn't much in the way of family. Lily and Pepper place their handfuls of dirt in the ground and then each a rose on top. Tony motioned for Pepper to leave with Lily and to get into their limo. He'd join them in a moment. Tony wasn't normally one for sentiment, but standing here in front of Shanon's grave made his head hurt. He'd let her go. He remembered what she was like. She was amazingly beautiful and equally as brilliant.

     "I'm sorry Shanon. I'm sorry for missing out and for letting you and Lily go. She's.. she's perfect. I'll do whatever I can to make things right. Rest in peace Shay.." Tony whipped out her old nickname and cleared his throat with a quick cough. _Don't cry Tony.._.

* * *

 

    The private jet was nice, Lily decided. It was cozy, and held all of her belongings, not that there was many. She sat with a water bottle in her hand, gazing out to the clouds. She could hear Pepper and Tony talk about where they were to put her, and how they could design her room in Stark Tower. Lily sighed for the upteenth time in the last three days. Her world was spinning round and round. Her life was flipped upside down, and now she was going to live with her astranged father and his girlfriend? She'd give it a chance, and then she'd move on from there. She popped in her earbuds and reclined in her seat.

_Just breath.. Just breath Lily..._


	3. New Places, New Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily, Pepper, and Tony land in New York. Things are different from back home. Really different. After a night together, the trio separate. Tony flies out to Afghanistan for a weapons meeting. Something goes wrong, and nobody knows what. Tony's gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming back! Another chapter is here! I hope you enjoy! We should be getting to the events in the Avengers soon. I just want to just form a bit more of a relationship with Tony and Lily. But, here we are.. So enjoy!

       The ride was comfortable, Lily slept the whole way. When she awoke, they had just landed. Tony had changed into another AC-DC shirt, while Pepper opted for some jeans and a nice blue blouse. Lily rose with a few pops in her spine, stretching her arms out in front of her. Pepper gave her a warm smile, motioning to the window.

The view was amazing. The city was huge, even the small air hanger was huge. She waited before saying anything. She held a stoic look on her face, despite her amazement. It was different already. New. She felt uncomfortable, but bore an air of calm. Standing, grabbing what she had, she followed Pepper out of the plane.

A car waited outside, sleek in the sunshine of Manhattan. Tony had said something about a man named Rhodey. Lily wasn't really paying attention. It was all a shock, everything was so.. surreal. They all sat in the car together, Lily clutching her bag to her chest. This is where her life would begin.. again.

* * *

 

For lack of a better term, Lily thought that Stark Tower was wholly.. unnecessary. It was very tall, and from what she'd heard, very much like Tony to create. It shone brightly in the summer sun. Rhodey dropped them off, Tony helping Pepper and Lily from the car. They entered the building, welcomed by a strange voice as they entered the elevator.

"That's JARVIS. My AI system. He basically runs everything around here." Tony explained, wearing a proud smile.

Lily 'hmmed' in appreciation. _Certainly impressive._

As the elevator continued it's journey upward, Tony looked to Pepper, then back to Lily.

"Ah.." He paused. "I called ahead, had a room made up for you."

Lily turned toward him now. "My room?"

"Yeah. After you said 'yes,' I figured I'd get an early start. It's ready for when you are."

"Thanks. A lot." Lily murmmered, her lips in a small smile.

Pepper smiled at her. It seemed to be her thing. "I'll show you around. We'll all have dinner later, then Tony has to fly out to Afghanistan for a meeting."

"O-oh?" Lily questioned. "That was fast. The ever busy life of Tony Stark?"

Tony chuckled lightly. "You have no idea."

* * *

 

The tour was long, Lily sighed in relief when dinner approached. Dinner was nice, quaint. They had had some chicken breast with a side salad. Dessert follwed after, Tony seemed to consume more of that than actual dinner. They chatted quietly, mostly about Tony's upcoming meeting, Lily's interests, and schooling.

"I like music.. music and video games." Lily admitted. "I like to sing too."

Pepper perked up. "Really? You must show us your talents sometime!"

Lily choked on her water, taking a moment to calm down. "Oh.. Uh. Sure."

Pepper clapped lightly. "Great!" She rose from her chair. "You two have fun. I have to finish up some things for tomorrow. Good night!"

That left an awkward silence. Tony sat sipping on his whiskey while Lily hummed a tune. They sat like that for ten minutes. Lily decided to begin cleaning up, manuvering her way around the kitchen. Tony rose, telling her to not worry about it, he'd get it later.

"No you won't.." She laughed. "You don't seem like the cleaning type."

Tony shrugged with a laugh. "You know me well."

Lily paused. "Y-yeah..?"

"Sorry about leaving so early. It's just a major deal we've been trying to get for ages." He droned.

Lily waved it off. "No problem. I can get used to things around here. My new room.."

"Yeah!" Tony smiled. "If you want to re-decorate, just let JARVIS know. You can have him order what you need. It'll go on my tab. Anything at all."

"Really? Thanks Tony." Lily gave him a smile.

* * *

 

Tony had walked her to her room, the night was gaining darkness. She clicked it open with her thumb, the scanner beeping at her correct print. The room held her things, the window to the far side offered a magnificent view of the city. She stepped into the room in awe, her eyes scanning as much as they could.

"It's.." Lily whispered. Tony arched a brow from behind her, waiting for a reply. "So much.."

Tony stepped toward her, resting a hand on her shoulder. She instictively flinched, realizing later that it was Tony. He didn't ask, but knew he would eventually.

"Lily.."

"Mom.. she tried hard.. I had a decent life.. But this.." She paused, breathing deeply. "This is amazing."

Tony smiled and Lily slept well that night.

* * *

 

Tony had left and was gone for a while. Pepper was frantic, Lily worried. No one had heard anything from him in a while. That meant that Lily was in charge of Stark Industries. With a fake smile, a pencil skirt, and Pepper at her side, Lily entered the press conference.

"I, Liliana Stark, promise to fufill the needs of this company until my.. _Father._. is capable of coming back to work. I thank you all for your time..."

The press swarmed her and Pepper, flooding the air with questions. They were rushed from the building before they could be swamped. They got back to Stark Tower as soon as they could. Lily immediately went to her room, locking the door behind her.

It was so much to handle, so many people. She was 18, still wanting to go to college, to make her own life. For now, she was the head of Stark Industries. She wasn't terribly close to Tony, they had only just met. But, she couldn't help to be worried. It was her father.. it was who she had left. 

She took several deep breaths before flopping onto her bed. She snuggled into her blankets, sighing as she watched the sun set. "Tony.. where are you..?"

**Author's Note:**

> First Avengers fanfiction. I'm getting back into the groove of writing and posting. Polite constructive criticism is welcome! I hope you enjoy! :D
> 
> As for the town in Alabama, I have no idea if there's actually a hospital there called Eastern Memorial, but I needed a town to use, and that's what google gave me. No offense to anyone. :)
> 
> As for the writing style, it won't be so awkward in the rest of the story. I just didn't want to reveal her name until the end. But thank you for reading!


End file.
